Wednesday, August 6

Will It Grill? Avocados and Another Super Salad

Will it Grill?

You may have seen some of the unusual things that blend on the Will it Blend? videos. Turns out, you get some pretty interesting results when you put things like footballs, marbles, Glow Sticks, and a new 3G iPhone into a blender (some blend, some not so much).

Inspired, I decided to start my own series of experiments -- Will it Grill?

The avocados were excellent. If you want to find out for yourself, here's how to grill an avocado:

Select a ripe yet somewhat firm avocado and slightly chill it.

Cut it in half and remove the pit. Brush it with olive oil and sprinkle with salt and pepper.

Place it right away on a medium-high grill flesh-side down for about 60 seconds. Grill marks should be present, and the flesh should be lightly caramelized yet intact.

Eat immediately.

The results are much more gratifying than you might imagine: the avocado flesh becomes irresistibly creamy and caramelized and is infused with a wonderfully smoky flavor. You can eat it plain, drizzle with a little lime juice and cayenne pepper, or douse with some Tabasco sauce and chopped cilantro.

You could also add it to this spicy Grilled Shrimp and Avocado Salad, the third Satisfying Super Salad in my series. What's so super about this salad? It's high in protein, fiber, and monounsaturated fats, which means you'll stay full longer and eat less afterward.

With chewy shrimp, silky avocado and crunchy jicama, it's highly textured, which makes it satisfying to eat. And for the really good news: each serving is approximately 300 calories, has 13 grams of protein, 15 grams of fat (from good-for-you monounsaturated olive oil and avocado) and virtually no sodium. Learn more about why avocados are good for you.

Tomorrow I am going to try to grill the remote control for the TV (please don't tell Jeff).

Add ingredients from cleaned shrimp through cayenne pepper into either a large Ziploc bag or a plastic container, shaking well. Refrigerate for 20-30 while preparing the rest of the salad.

Add mesclun to a large bowl with diced jicama and halved cherry tomatoes.

For the dressing, whisk all ingredients in a small bowl and set aside.

Remove the shrimp from the marinade; place 4 shrimp per skewer. Grill for 2 minutes, flipping once, or until the meat is opaque and the outside is lightly charred.

When grilling, use ripe yet somewhat firm avocados. If they're too squishy, then they won't retain their shape well. Slice avocados in half and remove the pits. Brush avocado flesh with a little olive oil and season with salt and freshly ground black pepper. (Since avocados oxidize, or turn brown quickly, don't slice them until you are ready to place them on the grill.) Place avocados flesh side down on a hot grill for 1 minute. Grill marks should be present, and the flesh should be slightly caramelized.

To grill indoors, preheat a grill pan over medium-high heat. Rub a thin coat of olive oil on the pan so the avocados won't stick. Place avocados flesh side down on the grill for 1 minute. Grill marks should be present, and the flesh should be slightly caramelized.

Pour the dressing on the salad (reserving a few spoonfuls to drizzle on top) and toss to coat well. Divide salad among 4 plates, and top each with 4 grilled shrimp and a grilled avocado half. Drizzle with the reserved dressing and serve immediately.

I do not think I have grilled and avocado before. But yes - the more I think of it the mores I can get used to the creamy grilled flavor of it. With the shrimp a classic! Lovely entry for the MM. Thank you!

Susan, you may turn me into a "grill everything" person yet! Since you're using cayenne pepper both on your shrimp and in the dressing, I'm thinking a little sprinkled on the avocado might be good too. Gorgeous photography as always.

It does grill, ha! It looks great in the picture. I like the sound of creaminess, must try. We have an avocado tree that came out of compost pile-no avocados, though :( I wish we could just grab them from our tree.

Looks yummy! We have also been trying different things on the grill this summer - my current favorite is grilled caesar salad - grilling the Romaine lettuce as well as the tomatos and onions -fantastic! Now I will have to try a Mexican salad with grilled Romaine and avocado!

oh good heavens. grilled avocado? i'm scared to try it because i may never want to eat anything else ever again. can one live on grilled avocados and remote controls alone? i, for one, am willing to find out. :)

Oh wow grilled avocado!! I must try that. I can't believe you tried grilled ice cream haha. :) If it were to work, it sounds like it would be good but I imagine the heat would have to be insanely hot and the ice cream insanely cold?

"Does it grill" - you crack me up! And in the next breath you totally inspire me. Who woulda thought - grilled avo! I am so going to be trying this. Also wondering (along with thousands of other women) how the remote ontrol experiment went ;-)